Why Do We Worship The Way We Do?
As Anglicans, we use various forms of ancient worship called “liturgical.” This is the major thing that distinguishes us from “low” churches that do not have a traditional liturgy.
Liturgy: The Work of the People
Liturgy comes from a Greek word that means “the work of the people.” In this ancient custom of worship, we become—as a group of Christians—what we cannot be as individuals—the people of God.
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Unlike many “low” churches today, in liturgical worship, the people in the pews participate in worship through song and response and join with the ministers in confession, prayer, and the sacraments. In many low churches, all the action is up front, and the people watching are doing just that—being spectators, not participants.
The liturgy was the ancient prayer of the church.
The early church thought of it as a journey or procession, picking up each Lord’s Day to resume our journey out of the world and into the Kingdom of God—into the fourth dimension, if you will. It is not an escape from the world but a way to see the reality of the world from a heavenly vantage point.
Liturgy’s Jewish Heritage
The early church did not create this liturgy from scratch. They derived most of it from the Jewish liturgy and emphasized its messianic meanings.
So, for example, there was an entrance rite in the Temple liturgies based on Psalm 122.1: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go up to the house of the Lord.’” The Levite singers would go in a procession before the priests who brought up the ark of the covenant (before the temple was built). The ark contained the two tablets of God’s words and the manna with which God would feed them in the wilderness.
The two basic parts of the Christian liturgy—the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Table—are based on these two features of Jewish history and worship.
Liturgy & Sacrament
Liturgical churches are sacramental churches.
We celebrate the sacrament of communion every week, not just on certain Sundays of the year. Anglicans believe communion is not merely a remembrance of what happened two thousand years ago but the celebration of and participation in the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Christ.
We consider baptism to be not merely what we do to proclaim our faith but also something that happens to us in a special way by the Holy Spirit. It plants a real seed that must then be watered and nourished by learning, fellowship, and faith.
Liturgy & Time
We follow the church year, which is a way of life from the ancient church that takes us through the great seasons of Christian life every year—seasons that present to us the whole history of Israel and Jesus Christ.
We read and preach from the lectionary, a three-year cycle of Bible readings that covers 80% of Scripture, forcing us to consider Bible passages we might not otherwise consider.
Following the church year results in different readings and prayers every Sunday. This means not only that our worship varies each week but also that it helps us to rediscover a new aspect of the Tri-personal God and his history with his people every week and in each new season.
The most important days and seasons of the church year are:
- Advent,
- Christmastide (12 days),
- Epiphany,
- Transfiguration Sunday,
- Ash Wednesday,
- Lent,
- Passion week,
- Easter,
- Pentecost,
- Reformation Sunday,
- Christ the King Sunday.
Liturgy & Candles
One of many distinctive aspects of liturgical worship is candles.
Candles are lit on the altar before the service as a symbol of Christ as the light of the world (John 8.12). They are a sign that Christ is now present in a special way—speaking through the reading of the Word, preaching, and feeding us through the sacrament.
During the Easter season and at baptisms and funerals, we light the tall Paschal Candle, symbolizing Christ’s resurrection.
Liturgy & Communion
This brings us back to another distinctive of liturgical and sacramental worship: we celebrate communion at nearly every service.
We do this because of Anglican conviction that the purpose of worship, as the early church taught and exemplified, was to hear and receive the Word of God and to be fed with the Real Presence of Christ in the sacrament. Through both of these essential parts of worship, we give the Tri-personal God the worship and adoration he deserves.
Liturgy & Music
Luther said music was God’s greatest gift after theology. The historic church has always made music central to worship. We recognize that God uses music to lift prayer and praise to a higher level.
The Psalms, which have always been the prayer book of Israel and the church, were set to music by David and other Israelite worship leaders and have been used for musical worship throughout the church’s 2000-year history.
The Anglican tradition has always been known for its splendid musical worship, using classic hymns from the early and medieval Church alongside Reformation and later Anglican hymns.
In sum, the liturgy is a gift from Israel and the historic church that teaches us how to worship the Tri-personal God and leads us to experience Him more deeply and richly as we follow its lead through the lectionary and church year.
Photo by Jan van der Wolf from Pexels, courtesy of Canva.
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